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Chen and Lu must mend fences

Ever since they assumed office, the relationship between Presi-dent Chen Shui-bian (陳水扁) and Vice President Annette Lu (呂秀蓮) has been widely discussed by the media. While some reports might exaggerate, it is nevertheless clear that Chen and Lu are heading in opposite directions.

In their latest spat, Lu criticized participants of the Economic Development Advisory Conference and the president -- though she didn't name names -- for their short-sightedness over the possible termination of the "no haste, be patient" policy. Lu called on them to gather their courage and consult their consciences in order to take responsibility for the historical decision to remove the US$50 million limit on investments in China, all while denying that her statement was aimed at Chen.

Chen, in turn, responded quickly by emphasizing that it was necessary to replace the policy with a strategy of proactive openness and effective management. Without referring to Lu -- but apparently responding to her explanation that she had simply been reacting to news reports about a possible policy change -- Chen said that people should not get angry after reading media reports.

This latest quarrel between Chen and Lu reflects a brewing storm. If neither side is capable of repairing their relationship, more troubles lie ahead.

It is never easy for a president to build up a sound working relationship with his partner. Even in a democratic country like the US, vice presidents are often kept outside the president's inner circle.

Taiwan's case, therefore, is not exceptional. It is up to the president to make his vice president effective. Beyond just appointing her, he has to ensure his vice president will be helpful to his camp.

In the White House, nearly every vice president has had his problems with the president's staff. In the first years of Bill Clinton's presidency, the staff treated then vice president Al Gore as an outsider. In the Bush White House, there was tension between the president's staff and his vice president, Dan Quayle. Ronald Reagan's staff was no exception and usually treated Bush as an outsider as well.

It is therefore very common for vice presidents to be excluded from the decision-making core of a president's administration. Nevertheless, there are some examples of a healthy working relationships between leaders. Ultimately, it was serving as vice president which enabled Gore to make his mark. Clinton gave Gore significant responsibility and Gore performed capably and loyally. His writ extended to the environment, science, NASA, technology, defense contracts, government efficiency and many other areas.

In comparison, Chen has tapped Lu to head two advisory boards: the Science and Technology Task Force and the Human Rights Task Force. He also invited Lu to join his Tuesday night meetings attended by top representatives from the DPP, the Legislative caucus and the Executive Yuan.

But what didn't he do? Despite the lack of concrete powers designated for the vice president in the ROC Constitution, Lu has been complaining about being excluded from the center of the decision-making process. Her outspoken and sometimes harsh remarks on the performance of Chen's administration have resulted in speculation that she and Chen have not being getting along.

Given the fact that her predecessors are often described as "men with no voice," it is natural for the publicly-elected Lu to be upset that she is being ignored. Additionally, Lu is well known for her strong personality and ambition. But, the mere fact that Lu is more entitled to speak out than her predecessors does not mean she should dance to a different tune than Chen.

Whether Chen and Lu can renew their relationship as Clinton and Gore did remains to be seen. But Lu must understand her own role -- that she is aboard the same boat as the president. Any misunderstanding between them must be solved through internal channels. For Chen, the way to best empower his partner will be to cede substantive areas to her control.

Even though former US president John F. Kennedy's disenfranchisement of his vice president, Lyndon Johnson, is widely recognized, he did set an important precedent in assigning space exploration and NASA to Johnson. Clinton followed this course by assigning a huge portion of the administration's agenda to Gore's care. In this regard, Chen does deserve some credit for delegating the leadership of two national committees to Lu.

Lu must understand how important it is that she be a helping hand and not a stumbling block to the president. For the remainder of their term, Chen should not distance himself from Lu, but rather give her more opportunities to participate in the decision-making process. Lu in turn, should readjust her role and offer constructive assistance to Chen.

In the face of boycotts from the opposition, Chen cannot afford any trouble in his own camp. He needs an able vice president at his side.

Liu Kuan-teh is a Taipei-based political commentator.
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